The trade deadline, trips to the disabled list and suspensions significantly altered bullpens across the league in the last thirty days. Subsequently, fantasy baseballers in holds leagues were likely scrambling to find the “next man in” to continue their quest for the playoffs as each respective domino fell. Still looking to make a late-season surge? Here’s a quick look at my top sixty middle relievers over the past month.Disclaimer: In developing these rankings I looked for pitchers who appeared in at least six games and earned at least two or more holds in the last thirty days. Additionally, the relievers appear in tiers and are listed in no particular order within their respective tier.

For me, the Double IPA is the cream of the crop and the three relievers above are just that. Melancon is closing for the moment, so I was hesitant to include him on this list, but with Jason Grilli starting to rehab I felt there may be a chance he falls back into his previous role. Robertson has been incredible over the last month. We’re getting a nice glimpse of the future Yankees’ closer during Mariano Rivera’s farewell tour.

The IPA is elite, but it doesn’t get the job done as consistently or as quickly as the Double does. Like Melancon in the tier above, Rex Brothers is currently holding down the ninth frame with Rafael Betancourt on the shelf. And there could easily be a case for Brothers, Walden and Hoover in the top tier here, but three hurlers in the top tier seemed to be enough.

Saisons tend to be refreshing, but pack a little less punch than those listed above. Hawkins is tied for the most holds in the league over the last month and could see some closing opportunities with Bobby Parnell going to the disabled list, but I’d prefer more strikeouts if I can get them. David Hernandez’s name made this tier, his performance over the last thirty days didn’t. Lots of upside in this tier, so don’t skip out on the Saison.

I’m not the biggest Porter fan, but there are some variations that get the job done. And I’ll always grab a Porter before reaching for the yellow fizzy stuff when the pickins’ in the cooler are slim. A few former closers and potential future closers litter this tier, so keep them in mind.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. If I need a fix, I’d gladly grab the yellow fizzy stuff rather than subjecting myself to the shakes. Feel free to dip into the leftovers to do the same, especially if you need to make a late-season push in the holds category. Streaming guys in the tiers above are always fun when a team’s closer has pitched a few consecutive days.

And again, here are my top 60 relievers over the last thirty days sorted by holds:

In addition to contributing to the RotoGraphs blog, you can find Alan at his own site, TheFantasyFix.com and follow his nonsense on Twitter @TheFantasyFix.

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yosoyfiesta

Louis Coleman has been nasty over the last 30 days and fits the parameters of your list, 10.47 K/9 on the year and in the last 30 days: 13.5 K/9, 0.0 BB/9 (yes 0 walks) and a 0.65 FIP. Not sure how many holds he’s racked up in the last month, but that man deserves some airtime!